home decor and garden are very famous in the world

I don't do a whole lot of giveaways here on The Cottage Home. So, today I'm changing it up a bit and I've got a little giveaway from me to you.  It's not much, but just a little token of my appreciation to all of The Cottage Home loyal readers.  I love your emails, your comments, and you seriously make blogging such an amazing experience for me.

So, enough with the touchy-feely stuff and onto the giveaway.  Today you have a choice of two 5 yard fabric bundles.  You can choose from these two fabric lines Art Gallery "Sugar" or David Walker "Robots".  If you are the winner, I will be sending you 1 yard cuts of each of the 5 prints from whatever line you choose - that's 5 yards total!

Here are your two bundle choices:

Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics "Sugar":

David Walker for Free Spirit Fabrics "Robots":



So you can enter this giveaway three times (three chances to win), here's how:

1. Leave a comment (with your email address) and let me know which bundle you would like and what you might make.

2. Become a follower and let me know you're following.  If you are already a follower (thank you), comment and simply let me know.

3. "Like" The Cottage Mama" on facebook.  Click here to become a fan.  Come back and leave a comment to let me know you're a fan.

This giveaway will be open for the next week and will close next Tuesday, September 7th at midnight (US Central Standard Time).  I will use random.org to select the winner.

Again, I want to thank you all so, so much for reading my little blog.  It hasn't even been a year yet that I started The Cottage Home, but I feel like I've known some of you for much longer. 

over the weekend billy and i headed over to historic grant park to the 8th annual summer shade festival.  it was a gorgeous day and we were loving the slightly cooler weather.  the highlight of my day was getting to see the booth belonging to the local art company “go jump in the lake.” 

i’ve used their rustic signs in the past and have always loved them.  most recently i used one of their “lake” signs in a model home’s nursery.

{images – charm home}

all of their signs are hand crafted and made to look like they’ve been exposed to the elements for years. 

their signs with quotes on them are my fave.

         

i loved the wall of local atlanta neighborhood signs too.  it really reminded me how many great historic neighborhoods atlanta has.

if you get a chance check out their website or purchase a sign from their etsy shop.

Except for the Mora clock, the room above has pretty much looked this way since the day we moved into our house almost ten years ago. I have grown tired of the darkness of the red, the abundance of accessories and the “woody” feel of the space. Thus, I have come to the conclusion it is time for a change.

My plan is to begin by adding a new wall color, lighter curtains – probably panels - and updated pillows. I want to remove some of the accessories to allow the room to breathe and add a fun rug for softness. My goal is to reuse most of the furnishings and some of accessories in order to keep costs to a minimum.

Here is a quick tour of the room as it looks today:


While our house was being built, my husband found the oak doors at a local antique shop. We quickly changed our plans to accommodate them in lieu of the standard pocket doors we had planned. (These obviously will stay.)


My grandmother had a terrific sense of style both in the way she dressed and how she decorated her home. The carved African heads were purchased by her on an African safari and the brass candle sticks (seen in the first picture above) came from a trip to Greece.


I also inherited her sewing box (above) which she had painted by Minnesota artist Enid Grindland in the traditional Norwegian style of Rosemaling. The plate between the windows (below) was a special Christmas present also created by the same artist. I consider both these pieces treasures as they belonged to my Grandmother and are part of my Norwegian heritage.


The furniture is a set – two chairs and a sofa - I refinished when my husband and I were first married. My in-laws had it in their basement but had no room for it in their house. I do not plan to have these pieces reupholstered as the fabric is still in great shape and the cost of this little room redo would skyrocket.


This quarter sawn oak table was found at a flea market my husband and I used to visit every Sunday when we were first married. It was one of those spur of the moment purchases which at the time was probably not very smart - we had little money, no real furniture, etc. – but turned out to be something I am so glad we did. Can you guess what it is?


An antique game table! It is such a fun piece and although we have not used it for its intended purpose since moving here (hard to move with so much other furniture in the way) we have played many a card game on it in previous houses. This too will stay.


On the “probably will be replaced at some point list” is the Bob Timberlake coffee table. I would like to find something more in keeping with the eclectic style and feeling of the rest of the room.


The skirted table will have a fabric change at the very least and most likely will be gone completely. (I never realized how much this fabric looks like my living room curtain fabric!)  I am thinking about a smaller more modern table to add a little twist to this room. (Let me know if you have any ideas.)


I like the size of the mirror and how it looks hanging above the game table but I am not so sure about the gold finish. This was an Ethan Allen floor sample so I am not opposed to painting it. I will have to wait on see on this idea until the rest of the room comes together.

So there you have it. My “red room” which I no longer want to be red! I will be heading to the paint store this week for the first step in this transformation.

I have not even begun to look at fabric for pillows and curtains, rugs or additional furnishings. I know this is probably not the best way to approach a room transformation - most designers will tell you to have a plan in place before you begin. I am just going to “wing it” and change things one at a time and see what develops! Sounds like fun doesn’t it?